Morning arrives gently on Smith Mountain Lake. Boats ease out from quiet coves, early rising paddleboarders glide quietly across the water’s surface, and the first cups of coffee are poured on lakefront porches.
The scene feels timeless, but the lake itself is only sixty years old. It is difficult to imagine that beneath the lake’s 20,000 acres of water once stood farms, roads, and small communities nestled along the Roanoke and Blackwater rivers. But more than sixty years ago, the valley was transformed when Appalachian Power completed a massive hydroelectric project and the water slowly rose behind Smith Mountain Dam.
On March 7, 1966, at 5:03am, the reservoir reached its full level, marking the official beginning of what would become western Virginia’s largest playground. This date is now known as “Full Pond Day,” and we have now reached the 60th anniversary of our beloved reservoir…